When Moshe’s father-in-law, Yisro, came to experience life in the Jewish camp, he was greeted warmly. His son-in-law Moshe was the greatest man to ever live and he had delivered the Jews from bondage and harsh slavery. He was a celebrity by virtue of his connection to Moshe.
However, Yisro was a celebrity in his own right and he even got a Parsha in the Torah named for him. What did he do that was so special that the portion of the Torah which contains the Ten Commandments is called by his name?
He took action. The Parsha begins by saying “And Yisro heard...” The Gemara asks, “What did Yisro hear that made him come [to the Jews]? He heard of the splitting of the sea and the war with Amalek.” The whole world heard of these things – but only Yisro came to learn more. What he did next was even more astounding.
Yisro watched the next day as tens of thousands of Jews descended on Moshe asking for his guidance and teaching. Those who had cases to be heard waited their turn, standing around all day as others got the chance to query their leader. While they undoubtedly got merit and reward for their willingness to wait for the truth of Torah, the whole situation did not sit well with Yisro. He took action.
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Instead of just complaining to Moshe that it was unfair to the people to stand and wait as Moshe sat in judgment, Yisro offered a suggestion. He said that Moshe should appoint many other judges and teach them the laws so they could adjudicate for the nation. Moshe took his advice and Hashem approved the matter. The long lines abated as multiple judges and scholars were able to share Hashem’s wisdom with the populace.
A very special lesson I’d like to take from this exchange is that we need not be afraid to speak up when something is right. Even to Moshe, the greatest man in the world, if there’s a chance to make an improvement, we should say what needs to be said (in a respectful way of course.)
None of us is too insignificant to make a difference and G-d Himself may very well agree with our suggestions. Then we can make the world a better place.
